What Does God's Love Really Look Like?

We use the word "love" for everything from our favourite sports teams to a new car. 

But what does love actually mean when it comes to God? The Bible gives us a picture of love that goes far beyond emotion, and it starts with understanding who God is and what He has done for us.

God Is the Definition of Love

First John 4:8 tells us plainly: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." God is not just loving. He is love itself. That means if we want to 

understand what love truly is, we have to look at God. Romans chapter 5 gives us 

one of the clearest pictures in all of Scripture of what God's love 

looks like and why it is so extraordinary.

What Are the Benefits of Believing in Jesus?

Before we get to the heart of God's love, Paul lays out what happens when someone places their faith in Jesus. These are the real, practical benefits of believing.

You Have Peace With God

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:1

To be justified means God has issued a legal declaration. He looks at a guilty sinner and declares them righteous. Not because of anything they 

have done, but because of what Jesus did. When you place your faith in Christ, God no longer sees you as an enemy. He sees you as part of His family.

You Stand in God's Grace

"Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we 

stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:2

Grace means receiving something you did not earn or deserve. Standing in grace means you do not have to prove yourself to God. You do not have to earn His love. The score is permanently settled.

You Have 24/7 Access to God

In the Old Testament, access to God was limited. Once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of the nation. But because of Jesus, that barrier is gone. You can talk to God whenever you want. His door is always open.

Suffering Produces Something Good in You

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." - Romans 5:3-4

God does not waste your pain. Difficult seasons produce endurance, character, and hope. And verse 5 reminds us that God's love is not just a trickle. It is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Why Is God's Love So Great? It's About Who He Died For

Here is where things get remarkable. The greatness of God's love is not simply seen in the fact that Jesus died. It is seen in who He chose to die for.

Paul uses three specific words to describe our condition before God stepped in.

We Were Weak

Weak here means helpless, sick, without strength. There was nothing we could do on our own to fix our problem with sin. We were completely powerless.

We Were Ungodly

Ungodly means unlike God, even the opposite of God. We lived contrary to His moral law. We had no moral compass pointing us toward Him.

We Were Sinners

The word sin means to miss the mark. Picture a target and an arrow that falls short of the bullseye. Every human being has been in that place. We were offenders, trespassers, rebels.

We were not lovely. We were not good. We were enemies of God with no hope and no ability to save ourselves.

What Did God Do While We Were in That Condition?

"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

He did not wait for us to clean ourselves up. He did not wait until we were worthy. While we were at our worst, He sent Jesus to die in our place.

The Greek word used here means "on behalf of" or "instead of." Jesus did 

not just die near us or around us. He died instead of us. He took our place.

Could God Really Love Someone Like Me?

Many people struggle to believe God could love them because of what they have done. The thought is: "You don't know what I've done. There's no way God could love me."

But here is the truth. God knew everything about your life before you ever lived it, and He still sent Jesus to die for you.

Consider Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the most 

notorious criminals in American history. While in prison, he received Bible study materials and by faith chose to believe in Jesus. By all accounts, he became a follower of Christ. One of the worst people the world has ever seen, reached by the love of God. If God's love could reach Him, there is nothing in your life 

that puts you beyond its reach.

How Do We Live This Out Practically?

Believe It

The first step is simply believing. By faith, trust that Jesus died for you, was buried, rose again, and is the Son of God. That He died in your place for your sins. This is the simplicity of the gospel. It is not a complicated theological formula. It is faith.

Repeat It When You Feel Unloved

When you feel broken, distant from God, or like you have gone too 

far, come back to these truths:

•        God is patient with me.

•        God is kind.

•        God's love is not envious, boastful, or prideful.

•        God's love will never dishonor me.

•        God is not self-seeking and is not easily angered with me.

•        God keeps no record of my sins. He chooses not to remember them.

•        God never gives up on me.

•        I can always trust God and His love never runs out.

Love is partly an emotion, but the bigger part of love is a commitment. Even when you do not feel God's love, it is still there. Because God is committed to you.

Life Application

This week, when a moment comes where you feel unworthy, far from God, or like your past disqualifies you from His love, stop and return to Romans 5:8. Read it out loud if you need to. Let the truth that God loved you at your worst sink in deeper than the lie that says you are too far gone.

Ask yourself these questions:

•  Do I actually believe that God loves me, not just people in general, but me specifically, knowing everything I have done?

•  Are there areas of my life where I am still trying to earn God's love rather than simply receiving it?

•  When I feel distant from God, do I run toward Him or away from 

Him, and what would it look like to run toward Him this week?

The greatness of God's love is displayed through who Jesus died for. And that is you.